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Sessions
Prologue: The Kingdom of Man The maelstroms are growing, and in their wake lies devastation. It isn't just that the land itself is scourged where they fall; harvests, trade routes and vital supplies are disrupted. Villages and townships have become ghost towns, weakening the kingdom and its people. Coffers and armies have suffered. This situation has the realm's attention, and wizards, priests, and oracles have studied the force with all powers at their disposal. The time for throwing convicts and drunkards into the maelstrom has come and gone. Criers and knights now spread across the lands, offering fortune and glory to those with the skills and fortitude to brave a new frontier. The rewards are great and many respond, but few are chosen - and there are still those who take the down payment and run. But others are determined to claim the true prize at the end of the road. Chapter 1: The Ambition of Lorne Lorne is a skilled laborer of the highest order. The roads and caravans take him between farmsteads and villages, where he practices his craft - raising homes, barns, sheds, longhouses and churches. But nobility and the arcane aside, he lives in an age where fifty years is ancient; in his late twenties, Lorne is ready to settle down. But retirement isn't cheap, and while he has some savings, he doesn't have enough. He doesn't want the shackles of patronage, or the slavery of the guilds. When he hears of the expedition, he responds. This is his chance; the rewards they offer will buy a deed and a title in a comfortable town. He has talents they can use, in establishing a beachhead within the maelstrom - if he succeeds, his pension is set for life. And the criers assure him that the wise men know they will not fail. Accepted and welcomed, he travels to the capital city. After a painful but necessary ritual of scarification required by the mages, he is given plentiful riches as a down payment and a surprising amount of trust prior to departure. But the next morning comes, and they set sail in a great warship, some two hundred sailors and twenty pioneers strong. The ship makes its way through stormy waters, past a nascent maelstrom and through the ghostly pirate ship attack that follows. By the time they reach a rock outcrop and an ancient arch, abutting a maelstrom that stretches the entire horizon, their score of men have been reduced to but six. The ancient arch swirls with energy, and as they cross over, the ocean waves fade into a subterranean passageway. The twists and turns of the corridor lead across stone cities and armies, trap-studded hallways, and trials set by three gods: the snake, the bull, and the raven. In the process, * Mercenary leader: desired all the potential treasure for herself. Having backstabbed her travelling companions, she fell behind in the hall of traps. MIA. * Said companions: one fell to the priest, another to the mercenary. KIA. * Priest: truly devout to his new gods, attempted to stop the party from reaching the old gods in a very final way. Deliberately flaunted the trials to block his own passage in the hopes that it would block the others as well. MIA. * Sir Fanael sic the paladin: knew the prophecy, including his own foretold death, and led the expedition anyway. Last seen pushing Lorne away from a trap; likely fell to the selfsame crushing gears, but unconfirmed and therefore MIA. It was revealed in the final moments that the expedition took place on the strength of a prophecy engraved on a mithral tablet, one that had been sent by Lorne himself. Having survived the perils Lorne wakes in a new land. He finds himself in a vast tropical crater, in the eye of the maelstrom, surrounded by a sprawling forest. Approached by a strange hyena-like beast who walks as if a man, he is led to an ancient ruin that was once perhaps populated by man, but is now derelict and abandoned. The lands around are flush with strange tribes, further crossbreeds of animal and man - and further outside, the gnoll druid has indicated there be giants of a terrible and hideous nature. Lorne is now alone in a strange land, with the way back unclear, but his mission remains viable - establish a stronghold for the expeditions that will hopefully follow. Almost alone; in the weeks that come, Lorne and the druid establish a camraderie and a rudimentary sign language. In this time he makes good progress on the ruins. Apart from his talents and experience, he bears a magical chest flush with extraordinary and useful supplies. The wise men did not leave him wanting. In the center of this ruin is a statue of a man, which as it is repaired and brought back to its former glory, has displayed both a hidden intelligence and an unmistakeably smug attitude, rewarding its disciples with gifts of iron. Soon after rearming the armless statue, Lorne experiences a dream where the marble landing at the statue's feet becomes the capstone for an arch, and is promised: if you build it, they will come. XP Breakout (Level 1: base RP award 135 xp) Capital City: roleplaying = 135 xp Bermuda Triangle: roleplaying = 135 xp Trap Rush: 3x CR2 traps, 200 each = 600 xp Forest Fire: CR5 hazard = 535 xp Gnoll Druid: CR2 encounter = 200 xp Base Camp: roleplaying = 135 xp Old Smugface: story award = 270 xp Session 1 Total: 2010 xp Chapter 2: Settling In Nicely Over the next few weeks, Lorne explores the ruins. He's established his base camp in a crumbled stone facade that once housed a forge, and puts work into restoring it to its former glory. This proves easier intended than accomplished however; he unearths and excavates a stairwell within his camp into a new chamber beneath, and the stairwell continues. It's become increasingly clear that the stonework is but the top of a tall tower, and one that likely expands into a sprawling fortress - far beneath the surface. Time and nature however have filled these chambers and passages with rubble and earth, and there is no craftmanship involved in laying bare the arteries, just hard labor. And Lorne is but one man. Still, progress is made. He raises a mighty wagon for hauling around lumber, stone and earth. He raises the arch; the next day, some force has engraved his likeness in the base of the arch. His accomplishments are not unnoticed. The gnoll comes and goes as it pleases, raising an earthen hut on his grounds for its own purposes and lending the occasional hand to his handicrafts. But whatever is watching does so with impatience. Lorne has another dream, one with the unmistakable message that he needs to get the lead out. It whisks him across the lands, to a long and snaking wall that leads to a mountain temple; there, it seems, Lorne will find the assistance he needs. On awakening, he describes this dream to the druid, and the gnoll knows of this place - and of the dangers that lurk nearby. They travel down the slope of the land, moving from the tropical forest into temperate, plains and hills, into the ragged edges of the mountains. The temple lies there, broken and abandoned, thick with carved snakes and climbing vines. He enters alone, and faces the first enemy of the old lands, the restless dead; withered skeletons, drawn mindlessly to the old worship grounds. His blade strikes true! And beyond crude traps, at the shattered altar, he finds his next ally: Hephaestus, a leather vest imbued with intelligence and mystical power. Wrapped around a dire rat, it gladly sheds the beast for a companion with thumbs. Hephaestus is a welcome addition for it brings not just luck but knowledge of this world. Lorne stands in the threshhold of the gods, the remains of the ancient war that broke the worlds apart. Three goddesses known as the morrigan were tasked with maintaining the lands - the snake, the bull, and the raven. But great and strange war machines roam the land, and the presence of other worlds causes nature to tremble and twist; this gateway between the new gods and the old gods is a chaotic, unruly place. Lorne returns to the temple and raises the statue of the snake once more. He needs all the friends he can get. When he arrives back at the ruins, the arch bears a new serpentine image, and the smugfaced statue has indicated a new path: back to where he first met his hyenalike friend. XP Breakout (Level 2: base RP award 200 xp) Add to Cart: roleplaying = 200 xp Diggy Diggy Hole: roleplaying = 200 xp Arch Friend: story award = 400 xp Great Fall: CR 1 trap = 135 xp Dem Bones: CR 1/6 skeleton = 20 xp Dem Bones: 5 CR 1/2 traps, 65 each = 325 xp Rat Scratch Fever: CR 1/3 dire rat = 45 xp Hephaestus the Vestus: roleplaying = 200 xp Dem Dry Bones: CR 1 skeleton = 135 xp Snakes and Ladders: story award = 400 xp Session 2 Total: 2060 xp Chapter 3: Meeting the Neighbors Lorne sets off down memory lane, with his companion in attendance. It twists and turns, and curves into a rough game trail. There he finds another hyena-faced man - dead, with the strong scent of arsenic on its fur. And then another, and another; a dozen or more before the treeline gives way to a long, shallow plain, beside a mighty river. The deep waters hold a deadly promise of their own, a long and serpentine beast that topples trees and earthbanks in its efforts to reach him, but Lorne is no fool and keeps well away from the monster's maw. On the riverbanks he comes across some dying, but not dead; and across the plains, the huts and tents of a village, still and quiet. The well reeks of poison. He saves as many as he can, with laudanum and fresh air, and clean water from the river. In time he learns both the name of his companion at long last - Thabo - and a much more haunting tale as the leader of the survivors, Grell, speaks of movement and voices within the well. Lorne didn't expect to find himself triaging victims or tracking down poisoners, but the villagers are weak and broken, and his own water supply is no less vulnerable. He descends into the depths of the well. The muddy waters flow sluggishly, reeking of poison, from an underground stream. Following its course he comes across a startling sight: worked stone, raised platforms and pipes delivering these waters from their source. Someone once raised aqueducts and a small fortification to house them! Entering, he explores its twists and turns, and tracks the poisoners to their lair; hyenas as well, but these are fratricidal savages, wielding weapons and huts of bones and suspiciously-familiar furs. With blade and bow Lorne slays their balance, and pursues those that flee through the far tunnel into a vast arctic wasteland. There he stops, though he can see the place they call home: a colossal turtle's shell, easily the size of a small mountain, lifeless save for the distant lights of its new tenants. Not prepared to face an entire tribe, he retreats and seals the passage. Working diligently, he finds the chunks of arsenic in a mixing chamber and hauls them out, before righting the valves to flush out the underground river and restore the well's sanctity. The fortification has other mysteries; engraved suns, moons, and stars, a masterful statue of a squat and stout fellow, a curious and deadly mechanism that teaches him to look where he steps, and a mysterious scrollcase that managed to survive the ravages of time. Having set everything to right, he returns to the surface and the light of day. Grell fills in the blanks. There are several tribes - the tribe of the mountain is one, respectful and superstitious, whom Grell and Thabo both represent. The tribe of the turtle is another. Unlike their brethren they are aggressive and bloodthirsty, and have no issue whatsoever with wearing the bones and pelts of the dead as trophies. They hunt their mountain brothers as sport. Having sealed off their path, Lorne is a hero of the village several times over... but no one is in a celebratory mood, and he returns to his own camp to let them lick their wounds. The arch again bears a new engraving to showcase his accomplishments. At first the statue seemed intent on restoring that which was lost, but Lorne is at a loss to understand this day's undertakings. He doesn't regret having helped! But as a stranger in a strange land, he seems further away from finding his place than before. And the day has one more surprise for him. The arch glows and shimmers, a portal opening to reveal - a stout and cheerful panda, garbed and prepared to trade. Despite language barriers, Lorne is soon richer by a magical compass and a potion of invisibility. The panda departs as quickly as he came, only able to stay for a few scant hours. There are other worlds, and other portals, and at least one has made a connection through this arch. He built it, and they have indeed started to come. XP Breakout (Level 3: base RP award 265 xp) Playing Nurse: roleplaying = 265 xp Crits, Crits Everywhere: CR 6 gnolls = 800 xp Snowscape: roleplaying = 265 xp Arsenic Hall: story award = 530 xp Boogie Woogie Woogie: CR4 electric trap = 400 xp Leave His Arm Alone: CR2 arrow trap = 200 xp Amateur Astronomer: CR1 puzzle = 135 xp Panda Express: roleplaying = 265 xp Session 3 total: 2860 xp